NYC Public Advocate Candidates Took Aim at Each Other's Backgrounds

The four leading Democratic candidates for New York City public advocate gave deeply populist and liberal answers to questions during a televised debate Sunday but clashed over a range of issues, including their records, campaign finances and worldviews.

Perhaps most striking was their unanimous support for the next mayor at least considering giving municipal-employee union workers retroactive raises. Every public-worker union will negotiate a new contract in 2014. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has estimated...